'Ironman-style' helmet deal to generate more jobs
The Striker II helmet provides digital information for pilots within their visor
- Published
An £133m contract to create a pioneering "Ironman-style" pilots helmet is to generate jobs at the Kent site where it is being developed.
The Striker II helmet provides digital information for pilots within their visor, as well as built-in night vision.
BAE Systems has been awarded the contract, with the helmet expected to be used by Typhoon pilots.
As a result of the contract, the company plans to expand its Rochester site.
Nigel Kidd compared the Striker II helmet to the one worn by Ironman
Nigel Kidd, product director at BAE Systems, compared the helmet to the one worn by Ironman, played by Robert Downey Jr.
"He's got this imagery in front of his face – all of the information in terms of where he's going, how fast he's going, where things are around him. What we're doing is bringing that to the real world," he said.
The helmet also has a built-in night vision camera. Pilots would have previously used separate night vision goggles.
Mr Kidd said it was a "game changing capability".
A total of 100 people at the Rochester site are currently working on the programme, which Mr Kidd described as a site of "future potential" in terms of growth.
The company said it hoped to grow from about 1,800 people on site to more than 2,000. It is also undertaking a recruitment drive to work across the company, driven by projects like Striker II.
Apprentice Lewis Solomon has been working at the Rochester site for 18 months
Digital technology solutions software engineer apprentice, Lewis Solomon, from Ashford, said: "Getting to work with stuff that's on the cutting edge, that's something that I never thought I'd be able to do.
"Being able to not only be given the opportunity to work with it but also research new ones is really fun."
The contract, which has been awarded by Eurofighter, includes the development of the helmet, flight trials and destructive testing.
The firm aims to finish development in 2027, with production starting soon after.
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